C. P. Scott? Kenneth Adam? Bernard Levin? Harvey W. Wiley? Ivor Brown? H. L. Mencken? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: While reading a book about woefully inaccurate predictions I came across a humorously incongruous statement about a wildly successful gadget: Television? The word is half Greek, half Latin. No good can come of it. British …
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Quote Origin: Our Liberty Is Not the Right To Do As We Please, But the Opportunity To Please To Do What Is Right
Peter Marshall? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: I once heard an intriguing remark about action and autonomy. It was roughly the following: May freedom be seen, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right. These words were attributed to a U.S. religious figure, but I …
Quote Origin: If It Wasn’t for Bad Luck I Wouldn’t Have Any Luck At All
Albert King? Booker T. Jones? William Bell? Dick Gregory? E. K. Means? Sidney Sutherland? Sidney Skolsky? Bill Brisson? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A popular blues song from the 1960s contains the following memorable lament: If it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all. How old is this mordant quip? Would …
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Quote Origin: Events, My Dear Boy, Events
Harold Macmillan? Winston Churchill? Adam Raphael? Peter Kellner? Kenneth Fleet? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Public figures around the world have faced major difficulties such as economic crashes, epidemics, and wars. Several decades ago, a powerful British politician experienced a series of setbacks during a period of economic and social upheaval. A journalist asked him …
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Quote Origin: When They Say It’s Not About Money, It’s About Money
Abe Martin? Kin Hubbard? H. L. Mencken? Jim Courier? George Young? Gary Shelton? Mike Lupica? Dale Bumpers? Shannon Sharpe? Question for Quote Investigator: Contract negotiations are tough, and disputes usually involve money. Yet, participants sometimes highlight other issues as paramount. Jaded observers have crafted the following dictum: When they say it’s not about the money. …
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Dialogue Origin: “How Many People Work Here?” “About Half of Them”
Charles M. Schwab? Reed Smoot? Pope John XXIII? Fliegende Blätter? Edgar Wallace? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A visitor to a large business watched as numerous workers moved purposefully along the hallways into offices. The visitor approached the leader of the company and asked: “This is such a busy place! How many people work here?” …
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Quote Origin: There Is No Agony Like Bearing an Untold Story Inside You
Zora Neale Hurston? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Brilliant writers are often impelled to share a tale. Keeping an untold story inside can cause agony. The prominent author Zora Neale Hurston said something like this. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1942 Zora Neale Hurston published “Dust …
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Quote Origin: They Sicken of the Calm, Who Knew the Storm
Dorothy Parker? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: If you experience a wild and tumultuous love affair then you will probably become bored with an episode of staid affection. The famous wit Dorothy Parker wrote a poem on this topic containing the following elegant line: They sicken of the calm, who knew the storm. Sometimes reference …
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Quote Origin: Success Comes In Cans. I Can, You Can, We Can
A. K. Karlson? High School Motto? Evan Esar? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The word “can” designates the ability to accomplish a task. “Can” also specifies a container. I recall the following wordplay-based inspirational maxims: Would you please explore this topic? Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match located by QI appeared in “The Hartford …
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Quote Origin: You Have To Have a Dream So You Can Get Up in the Morning
Charlotte Chandler? Billy Wilder? Lyn Erhard? Stanley Kramer? Pablo Picasso? Question for Quote Investigator: Your alarm clock sounds, and you wake up groggily. You press the snooze button to get ten more minutes of sleep. The alarm buzzes again, and you press the button again. How can you prevent this unhappy cycle? Instead of returning …
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